The Max Level Hero Has Returned!

257. The Incomparable Muscle Monsters

Davey gathered all the overwhelming emotions filling the labyrinth to help Evangeline in her recovery. Seeing her body emit light, he widened his eyes.

A millennium had given Davey incredible experience. Unlike most humans, who discarded unnecessary memories or plain forgot over time, he retained every single one of his, practically accruing the cumulative experience of tens or even hundreds of normal human lifetimes. Yet, even with all that knowledge, raising a child was completely foreign to him.

For a thousand years, heroes had cared for and protected him. Now, the roles suddenly switched as it became his turn to protect and nurture someone else. Devoid of experience, there was nothing he could be certain of regarding her changes.

Still, he pressed on, hoping his actions would help contribute to her future happiness. After all, simply denying and avoiding her fundamental nature wasn’t an option.

‘Unbelievable. She’s just a child, yet this level of power…’

Then someone interrupted his thoughts. Turning his head, he saw a black-haired woman staring at Evangeline with an expression of amazement.

"Teacher."

"I’m part of the faculty, remember? Or do you want to throw me into that madhouse like those poor students?"

Davey nodded without hesitation.

"Shakuntala’s classes might’ve been a bit too easy, don’t you think?"

"You won’t get away with that, not today. Bring your arm over."

When Davey rolled up his sleeve and extended his arm, Josiah sank her teeth into it with a pout.

Few knew Josiah’s true identity as a vampire, let alone her status as the Absolute Vampire Monarch, the Vampire Lord. As she bit into his arm with a blissful expression, he didn’t feel any real pain—it was akin to a mosquito’s bite. That was thanks to vampire saliva absorbing into the skin almost instantly, numbing the surrounding nerve endings.

Josiah, gleefully feeding as if she were trying to draw out his marrow as well, eventually pulled back her teeth with a satisfied look on her face.

"Ah… Your blood is like a drug. I can’t get enough of it, Teacher.”

"How do you plan to get married someday, if you keep this up?"

"Married? Who would marry someone like me?"

Though her lips showed no trace of blood, Josiah wiped her mouth with her sleeve before continuing.

"I’m a monster. Even if I fell in love with someone, do you really think they’d accept me after knowing I’m the Vampire Lord who once spread fear across the continent?"

Her blunt words put a solemn look on Davey’s face.

‘She has a point.’

Josiah Frances. She was once a prodigy in Shakuntala’s F class and the adopted daughter of a merchant family. But her true identity was a Vampire Lord who was awakened by another vampire. She couldn’t simply stop drinking blood to please a spouse.

"If I were to marry, I’d have to be loyal to that person. How do you think my husband would feel about me coming here to bite your arm or neck?"

"So… you’ll live alone?”

"My lifespan’s on a different scale from others anyways,” she muttered bitterly. "Would you be willing to take me in, Teacher?”"

"Did drinking my blood make you drunk?"

"Can’t I even make a joke?”

She laughed, but her smile was tinged with sadness.

"These days I just sometimes find myself feeling jealous of others."

Falling in love with someone, having children—that kind of happiness was out of her reach.

"Da, da!”

At that moment, Darian toddled over with Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon having finished patty cake, stretching out his arms toward Josiah.

"Uung…"

"…"

Josiah reflexively covered her mouth, unable to handle his overwhelming cuteness.

"Wow… He’s…”

"Do you want to get arrested or something? Think about the age gap."

"W-Who said anything about that?!"

Flustered, Josiah stomped her feet, but Darian clung to her, refusing to let go. She continued to play with him as if she couldn’t get enough of his cuteness.

"But teacher," Josiah asked, "why did you put that monster in the labyrinth?"

"Monster?"

"Yes." She narrowed her eyes. "Tell me you weren’t seriously expecting the students to take it down, right?”

"Josiah, humans are capable of superhuman feats when running from something truly horrifying."

Boom!

The entire labyrinth trembled.

"They should be able to handle it.”

Davey glanced at the labyrinth’s interior displayed by one of the video stones. His gaze was fixed on something bound within the massive cavern.

It wasn’t just any monster. It was a cyclops that the Last Wisp knights had captured at his request.

While it wasn’t impossible to defeat with the skills of a master-level combatant, a cyclops was far from easy to subdue. It possessed immense vitality, greater than that of a troll; and strength, capable of overpowering an ogre with ease.

Davey hadn’t mentioned it to the cadets, but taking down the cyclops was the true key to escaping the labyrinth.

"You know what makes humans so terrifying as opponents? They don’t hesitate to gang up on something they can’t defeat alone, bullying with numbers like it’s the natural thing to do.”

Humans, like goblins, thrived on their sheer numbers.

Watching the muscle-bound rabbits drag students off to their lairs to forcefully train them, flex their muscles, and crush the spirits of the cadets, Davey couldn’t help but smirk in satisfaction.

"Keep instilling fear," Davey murmured to himself.

He knew that doing so would render the cadets immune to other terrors, no matter how fearsome. It was an extreme approach, but there were few beings in the world as visually and physically horrifying as the Killer Rabbits.

"Woah… That's pitiful," Davey commented, his gaze settling on Maribel, a cadet huddled against a wall and surrounded by dozens of flexing rabbits. She was sobbing uncontrollably in overwhelming terror.

The students were panting heavily, some stumbling around in tattered clothing.

"Please… no… no more rabbits… no more muscles…"

Meanwhile, the rabbits were still busy flexing, zealously spreading their muscle-training techniques among their prisoners. The students, on the other hand, desperately tried to develop new ways to stop the rabbits.

The promise that they only needed to endure for four days was a lie.

"Ahem. This is Headmaster Davey O’Rowane speaking. I trust all cadets can hear me,” he said in a calm, cheerful voice. It was a sharp contrast when he then made an announcement that sent chills down their spines.

"Did I say four days to everyone? My apologies, but the schedule has been updated. The practical training will now last for one week. Provisions of food and water have been generously restocked in the safe houses, so don’t bother complaining. There's enough for all of you to last the entire trial and more.”

Even though no sound could escape the thick stone walls, he could picture the cadets screaming in despair.

"The rabbits will continue pursuing you all. And as for the promise of being let out if you give up… that was another lie. I’ve never raised weaklings who give up like that."

Again, he could almost feel the wails echoing through the labyrinth.

"However," Davey continued, "this time I’ll swear on my honor as a Saint to give you a way to end this training early."

He watched the cadets flinch through the display.

"At the center of the labyrinth lies a massive chamber. Some of you may have noticed it already—it’s sealed by a sturdy stone door.”

Until now, he had locked it for their safety—after all, they had been too inexperienced to handle what was inside.

"That door will now open. Inside is a monster. Kill it, by any means necessary, and the training will end immediately. Collaboration will be rewarded—any group effort will result in shared credit for all involved. Lastly, unlike the rabbits that are chasing you, the creature in that chamber is a true vicious monster. Don’t forget that."

With that, Davey cut his announcement off. Josiah, who had been nearby playfully rubbing her cheek against Darian’s, narrowed her eyes.

"What a cruel man.”

"If you want, I can reinstate F class for another round of training.”

"F class was dissolved ages ago. Don’t you know that none of us from F class even look in the general direction of this academy anymore?"

Davey chuckled and poked her forehead.

"After all the effort I put in, you could at least be grateful."

"Grateful? Look to your own conscience first."

Davey ignored her complaining and turned back to the video stone. He smirked as he saw the cadets gather, their eyes glinting with a mix of fear and determination.

He didn’t count the time when they were in the safe houses, only when they were outside moving through the labyrinth.

A week was far too long. He knew it, and the cadets knew it. As a result, they only had one viable option left; avoid the horrifying rabbits and take down the labyrinth’s boss as quickly as possible.

What they didn’t yet realize was that, unlike students from other academies who struggled even against average goblins, they had already become accustomed to facing the unstoppable might of the muscle rabbits. Their ability to subdue other monsters had unknowingly grown to exceptional levels.

‘I knew it…’

Davey made a wicked grin.

"Humans sure are fascinating."

"..."

Josiah shook her head, glancing at Aeria, who was smiling awkwardly.

"Uh… Aeria, is this man… okay?"

"He’s always been like this."

"…"

Josiah was at a loss for words.

"At the very least," Aeria continued with a soft smile, "he’s managed to unite the students with his unique methods."

Josiah made a puzzled face, not quite able to grasp the meaning of her words.

She didn’t understand just how amazing the results of camaraderie could be in a battle.

* * *

The safe house operated under three stipulations.

First, no monsters could enter while a cadet was inside. Second, a person could only stay in a safe house for up to ten hours. However, since this included sleeping time, the actual usable time was only about two hours. Once someone hit that limit, the safe house would forcibly eject them and deny entry for the next twenty four hours. Finally, the third condition was that time spent inside did not count toward the cumulative time they had to stay within the maze.

For most cadets, the safe house was a final refuge—but that didn’t apply to all of them.

Dukai, the Student Council President, stood in the center of one. He ignored Maribel, who clung to his head by biting down on his crown with her teeth. Raising his voice, he addressed the group.

"Cadets! Thank you all for taking the precious time to gather here in this safe house with me!”

The others maintained the silence at his declaration.

"In this place, there are no nobles or commoners. Here, we are all comrades. Does anyone disagree? No, of course not. Because right now, we are all the same—united in our desperate desire to escape this collective disaster!"

- We’re missing a lot of people!

"Yes, about a third of the cadets aren’t here—they couldn’t make it here in time. But those of you who have gathered—thank you!"

It didn’t take much to break down the walls between nobles and commoners. Humanity had always come together when faced with a common enemy.

"The despicable Headmaster, Davey O’Rowane! That man lied to us! He said this training would be over in four days, but now it’s been extended to a week. However!” Dukai clenched his fist. “As the Student Council President, I refuse to accept that this is the end!"

He dramatically gulped before continuing.

"A full week? Ridiculous! Have you seen the amount of food they’ve stocked? It’s enough to last us all for months on end! Which means… when the week is over, he’ll just extend it again!"

Grinding his teeth, Dukai growled, "He doesn’t intend to let us out of here any time soon!"

At his shout, the cadets turned pale.

"No more… I can’t handle those muscle rabbits anymore…"

"Please… no…”

The only reason they were safe now was that the rabbits had moved on, having had their fun. Otherwise, most of the cadets would already be done for. Even knowing the rabbits wouldn’t kill them, the crippling fear remained. Getting caught by one meant enduring a living nightmare.

"Even now, Headmaster Davey continues his ruthless grading of our performance! Cadets! Are we just going to sit here and take it?!" he yelled passionately. "We won’t let this labyrinth get the best of us! We still have to get revenge on him! That despicable Headmaster made us a promise predicated on his so-called honor!"

They all knew exactly what he was referring to.

"You’ve all seen it at least once—there is a massive door at the center of this hellish labyrinth! I refuse to believe that what lies beyond it is just more rabbits!"

Dukai took a step forward.

"Will you just sit here and wait to die? Will you let those horrifying rabbits catch you again?!"

"…"

"Someday, we’ll all die. But that day is not today!"

The room fell silent once again at his declaration.

"If we stay here doing nothing, we’ll only be caught and dragged back into hell by those rabbits! Do you know what Maribel did to me right after escaping from them? She lied, claiming she’d found an exit, and threw me to the rabbits so I could share her pain!"

All eyes turned to Maribel, but she didn’t seem to care, as she was busy venting her frustration..

"I’ll never forget that nightmare! Even someone like me, who loves muscle training, couldn’t endure it! Those who try to hide here and cower in fear will meet the same fate!"

Dukai raised his sword up high.

"Tell me, cadets! What lies beyond that door?!"

- The key to escaping this hell!

"And if it’s a powerful monster?"

- We fear nothing but the muscle rabbits!

- It’s just an obstacle on our path out of here!

- A big lump of meat—nothing more!

Unlike the muscle rabbits that evoked both physical and mental disgust, the creature beyond the door was simply a monster.

Leaving the absolute terror of the muscle rabbits behind them, the path forward was clear. There was no longer any distinction between nobles and commoners as the cadets shouted in unison.

“We have enough supplies! We are the founding cadets of Heins Academy! What is our goal?!”

- To escape this place!

- To get revenge on Headmaster Davey!”

“Exactly! One last question—what lies beyond that door? Fear?!”

- Just a monster!

- Compared to the rabbits, it’s child’s play!

Dukai raised his sword even higher.

“Good! We will not die here!”

Thud!

A few students struck their weapons against the ground in a resounding cadence.

“Survive! Escape!”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

More students joined in, rhythmically slamming their weapons down.

“Cadets! Raise your weapons! Together, we will escape this hell!”

- Waaa!!! For freedom!!!

Their thunderous roar reverberated, their eyes glinting with madness.

The nobles and commoners, once having looked down on each other and clashed over class differences, cooperated as if none of that animosity had ever existed. They worked together, spoke up, and diligently made their preparations, even using the limited time in the safe house to check and repair their equipment.

Nobles repaired the gear of commoners, while a noble heir eagerly accepted the tactical suggestions of a sharp-witted commoner girl.

United by a single purpose, the cadets displayed a resilience far beyond expectation.

Of course, they suffered attacks from the rabbits on their way from the safe house to the central chamber. Yet, regardless of class, many cadets sacrificed themselves without hesitation for the greater goal.

“Hurry! We’ll hold them off! We can’t afford any more losses!”

“President Dukai! Don’t let our sacrifices be in vain! Fly, you fools!”

The larger students used their prepared tower shields to form a barricade, holding off the rabbits’ advance. The muscle rabbits, giving zero consideration to strategy or efficiency, simply pushed against the shields with brute force to slowly gain ground.

The defending cadets couldn’t hold the line for long, but they managed to buy everyone else a few seconds of precious time.

“Damn it! Your sacrifices will not be forgotten! Let’s go!”

With Dukai in the lead, the remaining cadets surged forward. Despite sustaining heavy losses, they finally reached the massive stone door. The door slowly creaked open, eventually revealing what lay beyond.

- Grrr…

Inside knelt a massive one-eyed red monster, its arms bound by thick chains. It slowly lifted its head, giving the intruders a vicious glare.

It smelled something delicious.

Fueled by years of pent-up rage toward humans for its captivity, the cyclops unleashed an explosive wave ofintimidating shout in all directions. It was not something mere humans could withstand.

“There it is,” Dukai muttered grimly.

Yet, contrary to what the cyclops expected, the humans didn’t falter in the face of its roar.

The cadets standing before the monster had eyes gleaming with a fiery determination that bordered on madness, gazes eerily resembling those of predators sizing up their prey.

The cyclops, despite its limited intellect, began to think.

‘Something… isn’t right.’

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